Page 17 of Tiki Hut Tragedy
“Right.” Astrid strode across the room and patiently waited for Suharto to finish. He and his team moved away, giving her the floor.
Millie crept closer, curious to find out how the woman planned to handle the rowdy contestants.
“First and foremost, I’m deeply disappointed in all of you,” Astrid said. “Look at the mess you’ve made—and not for the first time, I might add. We are all guests on board the Siren of the Seas, which means a certain code of conduct is expected. You have failed miserably.”
Millie held her breath while Astrid continued scolding them, shaming them for their actions and threatening to remove them from the competition.
An audible collective gasp filled the room. Based on what Astrid had confided, she didn’t have the authority to boot them from the group, but judging by their reactions, they took the threat seriously. She wrapped up her lecture and motioned Millie and Annette over.
The women stepped in next to Astrid, one on each side. “All of you owe these women, as well as Barty and Felix, an apology.”
“I’m sorry.” A chorus of murmured regrets echoed.
“An apology is a start, but not enough,” Astrid said. “Those of you who want to remain a part of the Belly Buster’s group will help clean this mess up. If you refuse, I’ll take this as your resignation from the group, and you can leave right now.”
It got so quiet, Millie could hear a pin drop, and she silently cheered Astrid. Their punishment was absolutely fitting.
Not a single person stirred.
“Good.” Astrid pivoted, turning to address Annette. “How long do you need to track down cleaning supplies?”
“Less than five minutes.” Annette spun in a slow circle, assessing the damage. “The walls will need to be washed, the floors scrubbed and we’ll also need to pack up the salvageable leftovers.”
“We’ll be waiting.”
Annette, Barty, Millie and Felix hurried out of the dining room. Working together, they assembled the cleaning supplies and returned to where the women sat waiting.
With Astrid taking control, Annette put her in charge of doling out the duties. The initial instigators, Dixie, Wendy and Gail, were tasked with scrubbing the floors while the others packed up food and washed the walls.
Millie felt someone nudge her arm. She turned to find Felix standing behind her. “Astrid found her backbone.”
“And then some,” Millie chuckled. “It looks like she and Annette have it under control.”
“It’s a good thing they’re professional eaters and not axe throwers. We could have a whole other level of cleanup on our hands.”
“Right? I don’t even want to think about the carnage they could have left behind. The mess they made is bad enough.”
“Time for me to head out.” Felix did a fancy foot move and twirled around. “Line dancing class starts in five.”
“Thanks for helping.”
“I’m happy to assist. Working with you is always an adventure.”
After Felix left, Millie waited until Astrid was free. “It appears you have a good handle on your group.”
“For once.” Astrid shook her head in disgust. “I’m hoping a little cleaning duty will give them time to reflect and regret the error of their ways.”
“And not try this stunt again.” Millie turned to go.
The group’s leader stopped her. “Thanks again for helping with the tiki hut excursion tomorrow morning.”
“You’re welcome. Isla mentioned it’s a new addition to our excursion packages and popular with passengers. It leaves right from the dock. I might have to swing by and check it out.”
“They’re fun. We’ve done one before.” Astrid assured Millie that she planned to chat with her group ahead of time to remind them to behave themselves.
Millie glanced over her shoulder, noticing Wendy and Dixie standing off to the side, having some sort of heated discussion. She pointed it out to Astrid.
“It’s an ongoing issue. Wendy, Gail and Dixie are constantly butting heads, trying to one-up each other. All three are top contestants, which makes them frenemies.” Astrid confided that the upcoming competition was causing even more friction. “The Miami contest not only pays the winner big bucks, but this one includes a television contract. The winner will host their own pilot program. As you can imagine, they all want to win.”
